What is heavy but small and preferably has a hole in the middle?

[5foot5]

No, it isn't a riddle. I have a slight problem with a craft project and I was hoping the Mumsnet hive mind might have a genius solution.

I have started to crochet a Nativity scene. Tonight I completed the sheep. He looks great, but unfortunately his head is a bit too heavy so when I try to stand him up he just topples forwards. I really don't think there is any way I can dismantle him enough to lighten his head or put anything large and heavy in his back legs, so I am looking for a solution where I can attach something small and heavy to his tail or back feet that I can then cover or disguise with yarn.

I found that if I sellotaped a pound coin to his tail that was enough to keep him stable. Apparently a pound coin weighs 9g. So one solution is to find 9g worth of something I can thread on to the tail. My best thought so far is to dig out the Meccano and attach little nuts to the tail.

Initially I thought I could make and attach some additional back feet and weigh them down, but found that it will take more weight to work at the back feet than at the tail.

The other thought is to find something I can weave through the fleece at the back but it would need to be small.

Can anyone suggest a readily available substance to insert in to or attach to the back end of my sheep?

I won't be trying anything until tomorrow because it's late be and I have had a little wine.

You can get all sorts of sizes, from tiny to massive

So, I have engineered a solution! Shout out to the person who suggested nails up his bum. That's not quite what I did but it's not a million miles away.

After rooting around the house and garage I found a quite chunky screw which, when I sellotaped it to the sheep's rear end, seemed to do the trick. See attached image.

Next I crocheted a little sock to conceal the screw and then I threaded the whole lot over the existing skinny pink tail (sheep don't have skinny pink tails anyway, do they?) and sewed it to the sheep's bum.
Et voila! The sheep stands upright.

Here is a picture of him beside, but at a respectful distance from, the crib.

Thanks for all the advice and interest. I am going in to town now so I can buy more yarn to tackle the rest of the cast.

When I get on to the donkey I will bear this experience in mind and use some of the tips here to weight his body at the time of stuffing.

Very effective.
I don’t recommend using any foods for stuffing. We had a weevil infestation thanks to a wheat hot water bottle…

You can't just throw this into the conversation and refuse to give further information...

3D vulvas that need to stand up...

Err... why....?

No judgement! Just curious!

Crochet is actual magic, isn't it?

You start with loose wool... then lo! it is a manger! And a sheep.

Awe, OP. I am in awe.

Also full marks for find a use for what looks like one of those incredibly annoying hexagonal screws which you inadvertently buy in packs of 50, then get home and discover they need their own special screwdriver. 👍

No solutions sorry , but he is fantastic.

😂

Result! And the chunky tail is much better proportioned for a cute, round sheep.

I read ‘Next I crocheted a little sock…’ in the OP’s last post and thought OMG, she’s going for the full on ‘it’s a boy sheep’ option!

How could Mary be worried about such a cute little fella looking at her ?! I will be waiting for the finished scene..

I read the title and was going to respond "ME"
But I doubt I would be any use in the circumstances OP describes

Nice one, just a thought, would it still balance if you tacked the tail so that it hangs down? I've not seen a sticky out/up tail on a sheep, I don't think. Perhaps when it's taking a dump. Continuing the tone lowering...

Also, are you going to embroider a face on Baby Jesus, and give him a halo? 👼

I'm glad you solved your unbalanced sheep problem, OP. And he is absolutely gorgeous! I haven't crocheted for years, but I'm very tempted. Please come back with a pic of the whole nativity scene when you've finished it 🙂

Aw OP he is perfect! Very cute.

For those asking about the vulva, my guess would be that it is a midwife. Its amazing the crocheted equipment you can find that is helpful for preparation for birth classes. A full crochet uterus, placenta, umbilical cord, and baby, and all connect to eachother!

This thread has made me laugh!

Placemarking for the updates as your sheep is utterly adorable. My DD is learning to crochet so thank you for the pattern!

Curtain weights inside a tail.

Or tye really little strong magents. Theyre dense.

He was born well before the "Back to Sleep" campaign made us all aware that you should put your babies down on their backs, so Mary has put him down on his side I think and wrapped him up well.

Which is another way of saying this Jesus has no face. Or halo.

Nice to see an uplifting thread for a change. I was going to suggest you crochet a bale of hay that he could be 'eating' to rest his hin on, but I see you have now solved your problem.

It was an idea I had for midwives to use as a teaching aid for suturing. But I can’t crochet. So someone I used to work with made them, amazingly great models, different colours for the different layers of muscle, etc, anatomically correct. Can be sutured over and over again as long as people are careful when cutting the stitches out.

It was an idea I had for midwives to use as a teaching aid for suturing. But I can’t crochet. So someone I used to work with made them, amazingly great models, different colours for the different layers of muscle, etc, anatomically correct. Can be sutured over and over again as long as people are careful when cutting the stitches out.

WOW ,just WOW!

Sadly we no longer work together. She upped sticks and took her vulvas with her 😁😁😁😁

Are you sure she's not just been stealing your wine and is a bit drunk 😂😂
No advice I'm afraid but I just wanted to say your sheep is adorable 😍
(I hadn't seen your update....glad you found a solution. Baby Jesus is sooooo cute too)

Weighted cord, like for curtain weights. You might even be able to thread some directly into the tail.